Zohran Mamdani’s win to become the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor has been hailed as a communications triumph that broke all the rules. From the campaign’s distinctive visual identity to its use of social media to connect with younger voters, Mamdani's strategy offers a blueprint for engagement that all brands – not just politicians - can learn from.
Here are some takeaways:
Mamdani’s Brand
Designed by Philadelphia-based design cooperative, Forge, the Mamdani brand takes an opposite approach to almost all political and corporate campaigns. Most obvious is the saturated colour palette - most US politicians stick to red, white, and blue - and the hand-drawn quality of the slogan,which is simply the politician's first name. Visually, it’s box fresh with a down-home feel that’s rooted in New York street life such as the distinctive yellow of the city’s taxi cabs.
My takeaway
Mamdani understands the power of design to communicate ideas. This makes him pretty unique as a politician. He knew that his campaign's visual identity needed to connect with young, diverse voters who might not typically engage with traditional political campaigns. And it needed to be accessible - it couldn’t look too corporate or ‘done’. The posters, which appeared all over NYC in shop windows, was an easy win which shows with strong design, old-fashioned methods of communication - printed material! - should not be ignored. My only slight reservation is that a campaign brand has its own shelf life and it probably won’t work if Mamdani was to become mayor and is faced with the more difficult job of carrying out his policy promises.
Content and Language
Whether it's the promise of city-subsidised grocery stores, free buses or rent freezes, Mamdani’s language is conversational and lends itself to translation (all printed material was translated into eight languages). His campaign slogan, “For a New York You Can Afford,” is deliberately short to cut through the cluttered media environment. In contrast, his rival Andrew Cuomo failed to define his vision for voters.
My takeaway
While architects are not, in the main, running election campaigns they still need to communicate in a direct, relatable manner. This is often where the profession falls down. Mamdani uses story-telling techniques as well as humour and situations that resonate with everyday life to make his message more memorable and engaging. It's not just younger audiences who have shorter attention spans - everyone has less time.
TikTok
Mamdani’s campaign galvanised young New Yorkers through short videos under a minute long, digital explainers, and TikTok content. TikTok speeches delivered in Bengali, Hindi and Spanish, each garnered thousands of likes. His team strategically used social media algorithms to reach a wider audience, including those who might not typically follow political content.
My takeaway
Mamdani’s campaign shows that the most valuable communication skill if you want to get your message across is fluency in the language of TikTok and podcasts. And he has also shown that social media videos needn’t cost a lot if your audience is engaged.
Real-world visibility
Days before the election Mamdani walked the length of Manhattan, from Inwood Hill to Battery Park, to engage with voters.The grainy footage is on YouTube and has had over 100,000 views.
My takeaway
Digital reach is crucial, but real-world visibility is just as important, but the takeaway here is to combine the two.
The deadline for the 2025 Archiboo Awards is July 25th. Categories include Best Use of Social Media, Best Brand , Best Podcast and the Activism Award.To enter please go to the Archiboo Awards website.
